Fresh off a two-record stint with Asylum, Bob Dylan returned to Columbia Records in 1975 with one of the most acclaimed records of his career. Blood on the Tracks found Dylan reinvigorating the "confessional" singer-songwriter genre, even as he repeatedly insisted that the album's songs had no relation to his own life and then-recent marital […]
Continue ReadingGood times are on the way from the tight-knit musical unit that made everybody dance. On November 23, Atlantic Records and Rhino will celebrate the 40th anniversary of CHIC's chart-topping, record-breaking "Le Freak" with a new box set. The CHIC Organization 1977-1979 will arrive in 5-CD and 6-LP formats, bringing together new Nile Rodgers Signature […]
Continue ReadingWe previously filled you in on Robinsongs' recent releases from The Whispers, Midnight Star, and Shalamar. Today, we're looking at the Cherry Red imprint's 2018 reissues dedicated to three more vintage R&B groups: The Bar-Kays, Crown Heights Affair, and Lakeside. As One/Nightcrusing/Propositions/Dangerous brings together The Bar-Kays' four Mercury Records albums originally released between 1980 and […]
Continue ReadingAdorned with a Robert Crumb cover, Big Brother and The Holding Company's 1968 album Cheap Thrills marked the end of an era for the band. It was Big Brother's second and final album with lead singer Janis Joplin, whose incendiary talents were simply too big for any one band. Cheap Thrills, produced by John Simon, […]
Continue ReadingFollowing in the footsteps of Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and The Beach Boys, Cilla Black is the next artist to receive the grand orchestral treatment. On November 16, Warner Music U.K. will release Cilla with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring fourteen classic songs by the late superstar with all-new orchestral backings. Producers James Morgan […]
Continue ReadingIn recent months, the U.K.'s Dutton Vocalion label has reissued a number of rare quadraphonic mixes on SACD, including titles from Poco, Johnnie Taylor, The Guess Who, The Hues Corporation, Rick Derringer, Art Garfunkel, and more. The label has just announced its slate for September, highlighted by the SACD debut of the quad mix of […]
Continue ReadingHad Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson written nothing but "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," the duo would have found their place in the musical pantheon assured. But the reality is that the husband-and-wife team also wrote such American pop standards as "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," "You're All […]
Continue ReadingWelcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Doors, Waiting for the Sun: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Doors' Waiting for the Sun, featuring the hit "Hello, I Love You," is turning 50 with a new box set. This 2-CD/1-LP box features Bruce Botnick's remastered version of the original stereo mix on both CD […]
Continue ReadingReal Gone Music is taking a bite of the apple, er, Apple, this fall with a special pair of newly remastered and generously expanded reissues from Badfinger. The band's two underrated Warner Bros. albums are getting the deluxe treatment from the label on November 2. Following five albums for The Beatles' Apple label (including one as The […]
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